As Landlines Phase Out, Business VoIP Becomes New Standard

Although it certainly seems like the majority of businesses are opting to use business VoIP for their communication needs, not all have jumped ship on their landlines. Plain old telephone services (POTS) lines are very consistent, which means businesses are not getting irregular cut outs at any time of the day. The problem with POTS lines is that the costs are not matching up with the lack of features. Thus, VoIP, with all of its bells and whistles, becomes the more attractive option for businesses.

Take for example Buys Chiropractic, LLC, a Grand Rapids-based business in Michigan that made the switch to a VoIP service from a POTS line. According to Crain’s Detroit Business, the healthcare facility saw a rise in traditional telephony costs with little to nothing to show for it.

VoIP enables a range of applications not previously made available, such as the multimedia contact center and integrated Web and audio conferencing. Converged applications such as UC can take advantage of VoIP and enable companies to not only increase revenue and decrease costs, but enhance productivity and improve customer service.

VoIP services already include mechanisms for forwarding voice mail to email and other features used in a UC system. With VoIP, there is more scalability and better integration.

The most important benefit of VoIP technology is its cost efficiency, which in turn adds to the savings of consumers and companies using it. Generally, it can save almost half of the traditional phone bills, and sometimes more. For large organizations, the savings can translate to a lot.

Of course, for businesses like Buys, traditional landlines may soon be a thing of the past. In Michigan, a state Senate committee has approved the move to phase out traditional landline service and go to wireless or VoIP service. New legislation passed that will allow phone companies to discontinue the service to homes so long as some type of newer phone service is offered, such as VoIP.

But VoIP is becoming more prominent in the state. According to the FCC, the total number of landline customers in Michigan dropped from 6.7 million in 2000 to 2.6 million in 2012.

The transition from the traditional public switched telephone network (PSTN) to voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) is inevitable, and a good thing. For smaller businesses, VoIP can be invaluable. Conversely, business VoIP providers see the value in the small business, mostly because they create opportunity.

The demand for affordable, feature-rich IP phone systems will continue to increase as the small business looks to streamline communications, improve collaboration, and support mobility, all while saving a buck.

Edited by Alisen Downey